Sonja Carmichael is a Ngugi woman belonging to the Quandamooka people from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island, Queensland). She works specifically in the medium of fibre basketry and woven sculpture and has revitalised traditional Quandamooka weaving techniques. Carmichael’s work is informed by her family’s deep cultural connections to the land and seas of Minjerribah. In her practice, she draws inspiration from the many stories connected to traditional weaving and explores contemporary materials and techniques – in particular, discarded ghost nets and fishing lines. In using these materials, she expresses her concerns about the preservation of the natural environment.
Elisa Jane Carmichael, Sonja’s daughter, is a Ngugi woman belonging to the Quandamooka people of Moorgumpin (Moreton Island) and Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island, Queensland). She is a multidisciplinary artist who works across painting, textiles and weaving, and honours her saltwater heritage through working with materials collected from Country. Her contemporary explorations of Quandamooka weaving are a modern and unique twist on her enduring cultural traditions.